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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Part 2 Summary

The lord of the castle seems to be a brave and strong knight in the prime of his life.

He shows Gawain to a room where he can stay, and even assigns him some servants.

The room is quite fancy, decked out with embroidered silks, tapestries, and a comfy carpet.

He changes into some nice robes, and everyone admires him, thinking him the most handsome knight ever.

Gawain is getting seriously pampered. He sits by the fire and servants bring him tasty stews, fish, and breads to eat and wine to drink.

The servants question him and are impressed to hear that he is one of King Arthur's knights.

The lord is happy to learn that his guest is Sir Gawain. Gawain, apparently, has quite a reputation. He's known for his skill as a knight, his virtue, and also for his good manners. We get the impression that he's also a bit of a ladies' man.

After dinner Gawain, the lord, and his lady (the lord's wife) go to chapel. The lord tells Gawain that he's the most welcome guest in the world, and asks Gawain to sit with him during the service.

The lady of the castle is stunningly beautiful. Gawain even thinks she's prettier than Queen Guinevere.

The beautiful lady is accompanied by ancient-looking lady, who seems to be much respected by the local knights.

Gawain heads over to the women and, gallant knight that he is, declares that he's at their service.

After the service, the lord, lady, and their friends share some spice cakes and wine with Gawain, and the lord tries to entertain them.

The next morning is Christmas, and everyone feasts.

The old woman sits next to the lord. Gawain gets to sit next to the beautiful lady, and they have a grand old time. In fact, the narrator says that they have the best time of anyone at the feast.

The holiday is celebrated with three days of festivities, and then the guests leave.

Gawain goes to say goodbye to the lord, who seems sorry to see him go. The lord tries to get Gawain to stay a bit longer, but the knight says that he has to leave.

It's good to know that despite all the partying, Gawain hasn't forgotten his promise to the Green Knight.

Part 2, Lines 842 - 1045 Summary

The lord of the castle seems to be a brave and strong knight in the prime of his life.

He shows Gawain to a room where he can stay, and even assigns him some servants.

The room is quite fancy, decked out with embroidered silks, tapestries, and a comfy carpet.

He changes into some nice robes, and everyone admires him, thinking him the most handsome knight ever.

Gawain is getting seriously pampered. He sits by the fire and servants bring him tasty stews, fish, and breads to eat and wine to drink.

The servants question him and are impressed to hear that he is one of King Arthur's knights.

The lord is happy to learn that his guest is Sir Gawain. Gawain, apparently, has quite a reputation. He's known for his skill as a knight, his virtue, and also for his good manners. We get the impression that he's also a bit of a ladies' man.

After dinner Gawain, the lord, and his lady (the lord's wife) go to chapel. The lord tells Gawain that he's the most welcome guest in the world, and asks Gawain to sit with him during the service.

The lady of the castle is stunningly beautiful. Gawain even thinks she's prettier than Queen Guinevere.

The beautiful lady is accompanied by ancient-looking lady, who seems to be much respected by the local knights.

Gawain heads over to the women and, gallant knight that he is, declares that he's at their service.

After the service, the lord, lady, and their friends share some spice cakes and wine with Gawain, and the lord tries to entertain them.

The next morning is Christmas, and everyone feasts.

The old woman sits next to the lord. Gawain gets to sit next to the beautiful lady, and they have a grand old time. In fact, the narrator says that they have the best time of anyone at the feast.

The holiday is celebrated with three days of festivities, and then the guests leave.

Gawain goes to say goodbye to the lord, who seems sorry to see him go. The lord tries to get Gawain to stay a bit longer, but the knight says that he has to leave.

It's good to know that despite all the partying, Gawain hasn't forgotten his promise to the Green Knight.

Part 2, Lines 1046 - 1125 Summary

The lord wants to know why Gawain can't stay a little longer. Gawain tells him he has some urgent business, and asks the lord to help him find the Green Chapel by New Year's Day.

(By the way, at this point Gawain only has three days before he's supposed to meet the Green Knight.)

Gawain is in luck. The lord knows exactly where the Green Chapel is (it's only about two miles away), and he promises to bring Gawain there on New Year's Day. In the meantime, he says that Gawain should hang around his castle.

Gawain is very relieved and promises to stay with the lord.

The lord is happy and says that Gawain needs to rest from all of his travels. He proposes a little game. Tomorrow, Gawain should lounge around all day with the lady to keep him company. Meanwhile, the lord will go hunting. At the end of the day when they meet up again, they'll exchange what they've won over the course of the day.